Ring of Red Roses (The Nineties – Decade of the Damned Book 1) by Shah Eddy

Author:Shah, Eddy [Shah, Eddy]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Messenger group Ltd
Published: 2012-11-28T05:00:00+00:00

8

Slipped the Hook

A clearing in the Koptiaki Forest, The Urals, 10 a.m.

The first members of the Sverdlovsk police arrived in the clearing two hours after the bodies were found. There were six of them, their high shiny boots covered in mud as they slithered down the path.

They were led through the undergrowth by Morrison, who had been despatched by Duncan to the nearby village of Koptiaki to phone for assistance.

When he had gone, Duncan and a chastened Myeloski had searched the area for clues, but found none. The only tracks leading away from the area had been those of the riders. There were also the imprints of heavy tyre-tracks in the mud. But they went nowhere, and Duncan remembered the helicopter that they had heard when they first arrived at the forest. Whoever had been responsible for the killings had left by air.

Myeloski didn’t have the stomach to help Duncan pull the corpses from the mine-shaft. But he knew his duty, and helped the Englishman, regularly breaking away from the opening so as to retch in the undergrowth.

There were seven corpses in all, most of them riddled with bullet-holes and then mutilated. Five of the seven were dressed in period army uniforms.

There was no sign of the Oldenburg family.

When they had laid the corpses out in a row, they checked deeper in the mine-shaft. There was bedding there, and cans of food, as though it had been prepared for a short stay. There was also a primus stove, no doubt for the family’s use. The entrance to the shaft looked very much like a Second World War air-raid shelter. Apart from the preparations for a stay, there were no other clues.

They then searched the corpses, went through their clothing. They found no identification-marks, no clothing tags to help them. The Cartier watch, which they presumed was stolen from Leeming, was the only obvious link. Myeloski said nothing when he saw Duncan remove the watch and slip it into his coat pocket. He knew it would be returned to its rightful owner. There were also no arms; whoever had killed them had taken away their weapons. Duncan commented on the state of the bodies; he said that each man had been superbly fit and obviously well trained.

‘Probably KGB, or Spetnaz,’ Myeloski had commented, trying not to look too closely at the bullet-torn corpses.

The two men then sat at the edge of the clearing. Duncan brought a can of corned beef with him and opened it, offering some to Myeloski. The policeman refused, shook his head in disgust. Duncan ate sparingly of the contents, just enough to keep his energy-levels high.

‘You see their faces?’ he asked Myeloski.

‘What about them?’

‘Surprised. Total fucking panic. I think they were ambushed, caught in a crossfire. If you look round the edges, you can see where people were hidden in the undergrowth.’

‘What the hell’s going on? Where’re the family now?’

‘You tell me. This is your country, your crime. Isn’t that what you keep telling me?’

‘Are you saying I’m not doing my job?’

‘If the cap fits.

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